Liz Kimmins said the week-long festival “clearly demonstrated the benefits of pedestrianisation”.
Stormont’s Infrastructure Minister has committed to unveiling plans for more pedestrianisation of Belfast city centre in wake of the success of the Fleadh.
Sinn Fein minister Liz Kimmins said the week-long festival “clearly demonstrated the benefits of pedestrianisation”.
A section around City Hall was closed to traffic last week during the first Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which saw more than 1.5 million visit the Northern Ireland capital.
Footfall cameras across the city centre put attendance at 1,653,999 from Sunday August 2 to Sunday August 9, with Saturday recording the busiest day of the year to date with 289,560 visitors.
The event has been described by the chief executive of Visit Belfast Gerry Lennon as a “watershed moment” for the city, which “placed it firmly on the global stage in spectacular fashion”.
Ms Kimmins said now is the “perfect opportunity” for the public to weigh in on whether increased pedestrianisation of the city will take place moving forward.
“When I came into office, I set out my department’s seven foundations for a better future,” she said.
“These included creating cleaner, greener, town centres through a person-centred approach to all we do over the next decade.
“The huge success of the Fleadh has just shown us exactly what that can look like and how we can build on this success for next year, with an even bigger event.
“The measures introduced for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann clearly demonstrated the benefits of pedestrianisation and has led to calls for a more permanent solution.
“This has shown how we can make Belfast a nicer place for people and their families to live, to work and to visit.
“My department has already been working diligently behind the scenes to prepare a new transport plan for the Belfast area.
“In the next few weeks, I will bring forward a consultation which includes proposals for the expansion of pedestrianisation in Belfast city centre.”
Ms Kimmins added: “It is my ambition to reshape our town and city centres to put people first, creating more attractive, accessible, and vibrant places while reducing car dependency and encouraging sustainable travel choices.
“I want to hear everyone’s views on these proposals to ensure that everything we do is accessible for all.”
Sinn Fein MP for North Belfast, John Finucane said the the Fleadh “showed us what Belfast can be when we put people first”.
“For a week, our city centre was transformed into a vibrant, welcoming space where families, visitors and communities could come together and enjoy Belfast without being dominated by traffic.”
He added: “The success of the Fleadh has shown that people want this change.
“The public have seen what is possible when our city centre is designed around people rather than cars.”
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